“Erik has a good rank,” said Aldo through a translator during a recent press conference to promote the card. “I wasn’t actually so surprised. Even though there were some other interesting names, he’s up for the challenge.”

Aldo believes Koch’s resume from WEC helped push him into title-talk. The native Iowan is 13-1 in his career and has won four straight since a defeat to Chad Mendes in 2010.

Aldo has carried the strap since the belt was created when the UFC absorbed WEC. Their bout will serve as the main event at UFC 149 on July 21 from Calgary, Alberta, Canada’s Scotiabank Saddledome.

Check out the full press conference below:

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The July 21 bout will likely serve as the main event of the Calgary card as was stated during a press conference announcing the show earlier in the year. However, last week UFC President Dana White said “Scarface” could be headed to June’s UFC 147 card in Brazil after the lineup lost the rematch between Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen.

MMAJunkie first reported the bout’s status and targeted location/date.

Aldo (21-1) has defended his belt three times including a knockout victory in the first round over Chad Mendes. He has come out victorious in fourteen straight including other notable wins over Mark Hominick, Kenny Florian, and Urijah Faber.

Koch (13-1) has won both of his UFC fights with his lone career loss coming against Mendes. The Roufusport product is currently on a four-fight winning streak.

Other fights pegged for UFC 149 include Cheick Kongo-Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Yoshihiro Akiyama-Thiago Alves.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

News of the match-up was first reported by MMAWeekly, confirming things with sources close to both fighters.

Koch holds an overall record of 13-1 with ten stoppages including seven by way of submission. His only loss came more than two years ago in a decision defeat to Chad Mendes while under WEC’s banner. The 23-year old has not fought since September but has won his last four fights including success against Raphael Assuncao and Jonathan Brookins.

In Aldo he will be facing one of the premier pound-for-pound fighters on the planet and easily the best 145er out there. The 21-1 Aldo has emerged with his hand raised in fourteen consecutive outings with a January knockout of Mendes in his most recent appearance.

UFC 147 is scheduled for June 23 and is already slated to feature a rematch between TUF Brasil coaches Wanderlei Silva-Vitor Belfort as well as Fabricio Werdum fighting Mike Russow. Comparably, UFC 149 is set for July 21 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with bouts between Thiago Alves-Yoshihiro Akiyama and Cheick Kongo-Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira attached to the lineup.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

In honor of 2012’s fantastic finishes the UFC has put together a Top 5 Knockouts list with video to support their claims.

Taking the top spot was Edson Barboza’s brilliant Spinning Heel Kick KO of Terry Etim in January at UFC 142. Though the four fights preceding Barboza’s distinction are certainly notable, none compare to the Brazilian’s beautiful blasting of the Brit.

Watch below, re-live some of the most memorable UFC moments from the past three months, and see if your favorite knockout made the cut:

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

“Hatsu Hioki should be the contender,” Florian said on the show, pointing out both Hioki’s divisional standing and overall skill. “He is the #2 featherweight in the world. He has the reach, length, and experience to give Aldo a hard time.”

However, despite Florian’s feelings, Hioki has stated he wants to wait at least one more fight in the UFC before taking on Aldo. The 28-year-old is 28-4-2 in his career and 2-0 inside the Octagon with wins over Bart Palaszewski and George Roop.

Aldo, meanwhile, is 21-1 with three wins in the UFC since the WEC was absorbed by the promotion. He has defended his title against Florian, Mark Hominick, and most recently Chad Mendes. Other possibilities besides Hioki include Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung who are destined to dance together in May at UFC on Fuel 3.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Though fans, media members, and even his employers may be pushing for Edgar to make the move to featherweight, at least one person with an intimate knowledge of the division thinks Edgar would be wise to reconsider.

Andre Pederneiras, who is divisional champion Jose Aldo’s primary coach at Nova Uniao, recently went on Twitter to warn Edgar about the risk of swimming in the pool with a shark like his star pupil.

“The biggest advantage that Edgar has he would lose at 66kg…his speed,” the widely respected trainer wrote before adding, “Aldo keeps the belt.”

Edgar himself has also been opposed to the idea of joining the featherweight roster, stating he wants an immediate rematch with Henderson based on how close their original encounter was not to mention how competitive he’s been in general at 155 pounds.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

During an interview with TATAME the phenomenal 145er spoke about the possibility of fighting as a lightweight where he, as always, deferred to his head coach as making the decision but did reveal an interesting tidbit indicating he’s been thinking about making a move for quite some time.

“I’m feeling great on the featherweight. I really wanted to test myself a while ago, since I was at WEC, but Andre (Pederneiras) knows better. I’ll fight if he wants me to, otherwise I’ll just stay here.”

Pederneiras, who heads Nova Uniao, has come out to say Aldo would fight at 155 pounds but only if given an immediate title-shot.

“The next step is to keep defending my title for a long time,” continued Aldo. “We’re achieving our goals now, I’m seeing some of my personal dreams coming true, so we gotta keep working and I’m sure we’re gonna break much more records.”

The starry-eyed 25-year old also touched on his memorable dash into the crowd after knocking Mendes out in the opening round.

“It was big, man,” Aldo exclaimed!

“Since the UFC matched us up people were being very affectionate…fans sent me messages, so I thought to myself, ‘If I win this thing, I’m gonna run to the fans.’ Thank God everything worked out, I could run. The fans liked it, everyone liked it, so it was great,” Aldo concluded before joking that it may have actually been everyone BUT the security guards.

No definite opponent has been set yet for Aldo’s next title-defense but upcoming bouts featuring Hatsu Hioki and Dustin Poirier are likely to have a significant impact on the contendership picture.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

After ending Chad Mendes evening in the main event of the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil card with a perfectly-placed knee, “Scarface” ran into the large group of Brazilians and celebrated to the chagrin of the security guards in the arena.

None of that mattered to Aldo, however, as the champion just wanted to be among those that meant so much to him.

“My fans give me so much love and so much good energy, so there’s nothing better than celebrating with them,” Aldo explained after his moment in the mass of fans.

It remains to be seen who Aldo will face next for his UFC title, but those watching will likely never forget the scene they saw at UFC 142.

Enjoy re-living Aldo’s celebration with his countrymen following UFC 142 in the video below:

“If it depends on me, it won’t happen. Unless he leaves the team to train somewhere else and someone agrees with that, because I will not,” said Pederneiras in a conversation with Sherdog before adding a caveat, saying, “It won’t happen for now, unless he goes straight for a title shot. Not, ‘Oh no, he left the featherweight belt, moved up to lightweight and started from the beginning.’ No way.”

While Edgar will defend his title against Ben Henderson at UFC 144 no clear-cut contender has emerged for the winner the face. UFC President Dana White has also expressed his openness to the idea of Aldo heading up to lightweight if he wants to though he’s stopped short of guaranteeing an immediate title-shot.

Aldo holds an overall record of 21-1 and is on the cusp of eliminating all legitimate opposition at 145 pounds after knocking out previously unbeaten Chad Mendes in the first round of their headlining bout at UFC 142. Other notable opponents he’s taken out in dominant fashion include Florian, Mark Hominick, Mike Brown, and Urijah Faber.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Aldo spoke some about his inability to overwhelm opponents in the UFC as he did in WEC, offering up a fairly logical reason for the change in outcome.

“More publicity means more studying, more strategy, and guys come to fight avoiding my creativity,” explained in an interview with the UFC’s website. “It’s not like in the WEC times, when they were unsure of, ‘What will this guy will come out with next?’ So this is not just trying to knock their head off, but there is an elite opponent ready to capitalize on my mistakes and spoil things for me.”

“I never stopped training flying knees, and my standup game is much better than it was in the WEC, but like I mentioned, we have worthy talent standing on the other side of the cage,” he continued. “WEC (did) too, but in the UFC, the opponents have more footage and they are taking advantage of this fact.”

Come tonight’s bout against Mendes it could be a different story, as Aldo revealed he is understandably amped about competing in his home-country, saying, “I’m fighting in Rio de Janeiro, with the support of my fans, so I’ll push the pace and get back on the road to knockouts.”

Fans can catch Aldo’s attempt to finish the unbeaten Mendes tonight on PPV when things start at 10:00 PM EST. As always Five Ounces of Pain will be covering the action from start to finish. Make sure to check back here when preliminary pairings begin at 7:00 PM EST on Facebook.

PHOTO CREDIT – WEC/UFC

That’s because the bout will take place in Aldo’s native country of Brazil inside the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro at UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes.

Along with being one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world, “Scarface” is also looked upon as the possible heir apparent to Anderson Silva’s title as Brazil’s best. With a win over Mendes, Aldo may just stake that claim.

“After I knock him out at home, the fans will go crazy with happiness,” said Aldo in a special video from the UFC promoting the show. “I’m going for the knockout or a submission. I want to leave a good impression. I will defeat Chad Mendes, especially at home.”

Mendes, who is undefeated in his pro MMA career and widely-regarded as one of the elite featherweights in the world, believes he can take the approach of a movie character into this fight: Rocky Balboa, the slugging boxer who won over the hearts of everyone in his title fight with Apollo Creed.

“I’m looking at this kind of like a Rocky story. I’m going to go in there and fight the champion in his back yard and take it from him,” Mendes said. “I’m going into Brazil and I’m going to take that belt. I’m going to become the next featherweight champion of the world.”

Check out the video below, highlighting past fights involving both Aldo and Mendes:

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

With Mendes providing a very strong challenge to his reign as featherweight champ Aldo knew improving his takedown defense was important. As such, he brought Gray Maynard down to train with him recently. “The Bully” is a former standout at Michigan State University and nearly claimed the UFC lightweight title from Frankie Edgar on more than one occasion.

“We met a few times at UFC events, and from there we started a friendship,” said Aldo in a video documenting his time with Maynard. “It’s great to have such a talented guy come over. And thank God now was a good time for him.”

Mendes is a member of Team Alpha Male out of California, training with the likes of Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez. He is a NCAA runner-up while competing at Cal Poly. His bout against Aldo will serve as the main event for the UFC’s return to Brazil, as the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro will play host to the card. Vitor Belfort and Anthony Johnson tangle in the co-main event.

Check out the video of Aldo-Maynard below:

“About his speed, it won’t be a problem,” said Aldo in an interview with the UFC. “He’s always been an explosive fighter, but I’m an explosive fighter as well. I’ve been training jiu-jitsu since I was a kid, so if we both hit the ground, I will be the one with the advantage.”

Another advantage Aldo feels he has pertains to a past pairing against Urijah Faber, Mendes’ coach and confidant. Aldo beat “The California Kid” soundly in April 2010, picking apart his leg with kicks throughout their five round affair.

“Chad’s style of fighting is very similar to Faber’s,” Aldo explained. “The height, the wrestling, the way they move…they are very similar. Mendes is younger than Faber, but it’s basically the same type of fight for me.”

And, of course, Aldo also feels he’s the superior stand-up artist, stating a stoppage seems likely given the match-up.

“Mendes has got a disadvantage fighting me on his feet. He’s not as good a boxer as the other guys I have faced and I don’t think he can do well standing up in this fight. I will be looking for a knockout or a submission.”

Catch Aldo defend his belt against Mendes when the main card of UFC 142 takes to the PPV airwaves on Saturday night. Other featured bouts include Sam Stout vs. Thiago Tavares and Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Aldo and Mendes could be the start of an America vs. Brazil rivalry, as the two will likely be one of numerous pairings involving the clash of nationalities and also meet a few months before a likely encounter between UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.

For Aldo, the bout will mark the first time he has fought in Brazil since 2007. “Scarface” is 20-1 in his career and has won thirteen straight fights including back-to-back decision victories to defend his UFC title against Kenny Florian and Mark Hominick.

Mendes (11-0) is 2-0 in the UFC since the company folded in the WEC. He has won seven of his fights via decision and two each by KO and submission.

“Aldo hasn’t lost in over five years, but Mendes has yet to lose in MMA, and after clearing out all the contenders put in his way, he believes he has what it takes to beat the champion,” said UFC President Dana White in a recent interview with FOX Sports’ website and has since been announced by the UFC.

A venue for the title fight has yet to be decided, but rumors have mentioned Rio de Janeiro as a possible site meaning the promotion would likely return to the HSBC Arenar where UFC 134 was held.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

UFC

Aldo’s talk of wanting to meet Edgar at 145 pounds is something that could work out in the future, as even UFC President Dana White believes “The Answer” would be better suited for the featherweight division because of his size. The odds of Aldo facing Edgar are slim-to-none for now, as both men have plenty of challengers left in front of them.

For Aldo, many feel like he needs to move up from featherweight because of the drastic weight-cut he takes on before fights. But, with his talk of wanting to face Edgar there, that would seem to be something that hasn’t crossed his mind yet.

“Man, I think it’s great. Frankie is the lightweight champion, so if he moves down, no problem,” said Aldo, in a recent interview with Tatame. “Just like Kenny Florian did, and others are doing…to me, it’s okay. I’ll always fight the guys they point out for me to fight. Move up is (expletive). If someone’s deciding it someday, it’s (coach) Andre Pederneiras.”

Aldo and Edgar each competed on UFC 136, with Aldo defeating Florian and Edgar finishing off his trilogy of fights with Gray Maynard by knockout.

As for potential opponents, Aldo looks to be on track to defend against Chad Mendes, with Edgar awaiting either Gilbert Melendez or the winner of Ben Henderson-Clay Guida. Melendez is the current Strikeforce lightweight champ but looks to be coming to the UFC as soon as possible.

“Now, I’m just taking (a vacation), so I’m not worried about that,” Aldo said. “I’m spending a few days in the United States. Then, I’ll go back to Brazil, I’ll return to the trainings, and in, the future, I’ll think about it (my next opponent). I’ll fight whoever they tell me to.”

PHOTO CREDIT – ZUFFA

The 14-5 Florian earned his shot at divisional gold with solid performance in his divisional debut last month at UFC 131 against Diego Nunes, a Nova Uniao teammate of Aldo’s. Prior to the fight the original Ultimate Fighter alumnus had scored a number of impressive victories against heavier competition including stoppages against Joe Lauzon, Takanori Gomi, Joe Stevenson, and Clay Guida.

Given Florian’s success at 155 the phenomenal Brazilian can back claims of his status as one of MMA’s top pound-for-pound fighters by beating the veteran challenger. The 24-year old has compiled a 19-1 record since taking to the ring in 2004 and hasn’t lost in more than five years including a dozen wins under the Zuffa banner. During that span he’s hand his hands raised against Jonathan Brookins, Manny Gamburyan, Mike Brown, Urijah Faber, and most recently Mark Hominick at UFC 129.

With the addition of Aldo vs. Florian, plus Edgar vs. Maynard, the increasingly deep lineup in Houston will also feature exciting bouts like explosive striker Melvin Guillard against submission machine Joe Lauzon, streaking middleweight Brian Stann attempting to silence outspoken grappler Chael Sonnen, and BJJ artist Demian Maia taking on former SRC champ Jorge Santiago.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

When discussion turned towards featherweight title-holder Jose Aldo during the UFC 129 post-event press conference, UFC President Dana White revealed the company is considering a bout between the explosive Brazilian and undefeated Chad Mendes on August 6 in Philadelphia while referring to Mendes’ record as evidence qualifying for contendership. White also added Ken Florian was not being looked at for the shot even assuming he defeats Diego Nunes in June based on the turnaround time between fights.

Mendes, who turns 26 today, has gone 10-0 since turning pro in 2008 including a win in his Octagon debut over respected veteran Michihiro Omigawa at UFC 126 this past February. Prior to the victory he emerged with his hands raised in four WEC appearances including success against Cub Swanson, Javier Vazquez, and Eric Koch.

If the match-up does indeed come to fruition it will mark the second time Aldo will encounter Team Alpha Male in his career having already notched a one-sided win over founder Urijah Faber a little over a year ago at WEC 48. He has won both of his follow-up fights since then, including Saturday night’s five-round battle with Mark Hominick, to improve his overall record to 19-1.

Other bouts scheduled for UFC 133 include Rashad Evans taking on Phil Davis, a replacement for injured light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, as well as Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshishiro Akiyama.

PHOTO CREDIT – ZUFFA

White’s statements on the matter confirmed a recent report of the possible scenario from Canadian outlet SportsNet.

However, it’s doubtful Hominick is looking beyond his challenge at this month’s “Fight for the Troops” event scheduled for January 22, as Roop is no pushover in the ring and is coming off a devastating knockout head-kick of “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung last September. He is 11-6-1 overall with a draw against Leonard Garcia and the bulk of his wins assisted by a solid grappling base.

If Hominick loses, according to White, it’s “back to the drawing board.” However, “The Machine” has emerged with his hands raised in four straight appearances and six of his last seven. The 28-year old most recently outpointed Garcia at WEC 51 and holds past victories over Jorge Gurgel and Yves Edwards. He will also be fighting for more than a title-shot when he faces Roop, as Hominick is an Ontario native meaning he’d earn the opportunity to potentially win gold in front of friends, family, and countrymen at UFC 129.

Aldo will undoubtedly be anxiously awaiting their Fight Night 23 result as well. Sidelined with a neck injury since late last year, the dynamic Brazilian champion watched an expected match-up with Josh Grispi slip away when Grispi was soundly beaten by Dustin Poirier at UFC 125 and is likely looking forward to having a set opponent to prepare for.

PHOTO CREDIT – WEC/UFC

Aldo’s plans and status were revealed in a conversation with Tatame.

The UFC currently has a trio of offerings planned for March including a return to Versus on March 3, UFC 128 on March 19, and Fight Night 24 on March 26. All of the cards have already begun to take form so it will be interesting to see where Aldo actually lands.

As far as who the UFC’s 145-pound champion expects to face, Aldo admitted he was disappointed in Grispi’s losing performance at UFC 125 against Dustin Poirier and avoided mentioning any specific names as a replacement for the former featherweight contender. However, he did allude to the match-up between Mark Hominick and George Roop at Fight Night 23 on January 22 as possibly providing an adversary for his attempt at retaining gold.

Aldo is 18-1 overall in his career and has won his last eleven fights including seven by way of TKO. He most recently found success against Manny Gamburyan at WEC 51 this past September and also holds past victories over former featherweight champs Mike Brown and Urijah Faber.

PHOTO CREDIT – WEC

Aldo, who was officially awarded the UFC Featherweight Championship over the weekend during UFC 123, was scheduled to defend his belt against 14-1 contender Josh Grispi at the event.

News of Aldo’s situation was originally reported by HeavyMMA, who stated he would be pulled from the show, then later amended by ESPN’s Josh Gross via Twitter who explained the injury was related to the Brazilian suffering a “compacted vertebrae” but that Aldo still plans to fight. The injury is believed to require at least a month of rehab.

The 24-year old phenom is currently on a eleven-fight win streak and is 18-1 overall. He holds notable victories over Urijah Faber, Mike Brown, and Manny Gamburyan, and is believed by many to be one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.